Meth Detox: How Long Does It Take to Detox From Meth?

Methamphetamine Use Disorder is a serious substance use disorder characterized by an uncontrollable urge to take meth, despite the shocking impact on health, social, and personal life. Methamphetamine causes a surge in dopamine, the pleasure and reward neurotransmitter in the brain, leading to a euphoria that lasts briefly.

When it is used continuously, it changes the essence of the chemistry of the brain. It ceases to produce dopamine naturally and damages the receptors, resulting in an extreme physical and mental dependency.

Meth withdrawal describes the very difficult physical and psychological symptoms that occur when the body of an individual has become dependent on meth to become normal and then discontinues its use. Meth causes the brain to release large quantities of a so-called “feel-good” chemical known as dopamine.

When you are on meth regularly, your brain gets accustomed to it and it will no longer produce as much of its own dopamine. It begins to depend on the drug in order to feel well. Your brain is left with little of its feel-good chemical when you quit using. Withdrawal refers to the painful yet essential treatment of your body and mind becoming healthy and returning to normalcy without the substance.

Meth withdrawal occurs when the drug comes out of your body. The symptoms are mostly psychological but very strong and may involve:

• The “Crash”: An uncontrollable physical tiredness and a desire to sleep for days.
• Severe Depression: A deep-rooted depression characterized by hopelessness.
• Anhedonia: The inability to experience any pleasures at all.
• Intense Cravings: An uncontrollable psychological desire to take once again.
• Psychosis: Paranoia, hallucinations, and delusions, which may give way to dangerous actions.
• Anxiety & Agitation: Extreme agitation and emotional distress.
• Increased Appetite: Excess hunger when the body is finding rhythm with its metabolic processes.

The withdrawal process varies among individuals, but the most severe, acute symptoms are most likely to occur at the beginning of the withdrawal period, within the first week, and will pass in 1 to 2 weeks. Psychological symptoms may, however, persist months later.

It is important to know that when detoxing your body of meth, it goes through different stages. The timeframe is flexible, but approximately takes the following order:

• Phase 1: The Crash (First 24-48 hours)

The first phase is characterized by an enormous loss of energy and mood. Users frequently fall asleep for 1 to 3 days and are profoundly depressed and fatigued when they awaken.

• Phase 2: Peak Withdrawal (Days 3-10)

During this period, the desire to use is most intense. The highest risk is that of severe depression, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts. Our medical staff monitors and offers supportive care 24/7 to keep these acute symptoms from keeping you safe.

• Phase 3: Protracted Withdrawal (Weeks 2-6+)

During this stage, you may still feel the acute symptoms, though these are subsided with weeks or months of post-acute withdrawal symptoms (PAWS), which include mood swings, sleep problems, anhedonia, and can have occasional cravings. This stage highlights the importance of a thorough aftercare program after the initial meth detox.

Factors That Influence The Withdrawal Timeline

One of the frequently asked questions is the following one: how long does it take to detox from meth? The response is very much individual. Not everyone has the same experience of the meth withdrawal timeline, and it depends on multiple factors:

• Duration and Frequency of Use: Meth users who have used longer and more frequently will have a more intense and more prolonged period of withdrawal.
• Dosage: The higher the dose of methamphetamine, the more the physical dependence, and this means more intense withdrawal.
• Method of Administration: The form in which the drug was used has a significant influence on its severity and withdrawal. Meth injection or smoking causes a more immediate and intense high, which may be associated with a worse “crash” and withdrawal.
• Individual Physiology: The age, metabolism, general physical health, and genetics of a person contribute to the way a body absorbs and gets rid of the drug.

Methamphetamine (meth) detox refers to the process through which the body eliminates the drug and the poisonous metabolites. It is the initial vital stage of getting over a meth addiction. It may sound very easy, nonetheless, the procedure is characterized by severe and even life-threatening withdrawal symptoms, and this is why the detox procedure under medical supervision is the safest and most successful method.

It is extremely dangerous to self-quit meth. It is not normally as physically fatal as quitting alcohol, but the risks are critical. That is the reason why the safest detox method a patient can have is by obtaining professional assistance.

The following are the primary dangers of going through detoxification without any assistance:

• Panic attacks: Severe withdrawal, after being off the meth, leads to intense psychological cracks. This can result in extreme depression and suicidal thoughts. A detox center offers around-the-clock care to help you stay safe.
• Losing Touch with Reality (Psychosis): You may feel very paranoid, hear or see things that are not there (hallucinations), or believe things that are not true. This may make you behave very dangerously towards yourself or others.
• Overtaking Desire and Relapse: The desire to use meth once again may seem to be irresistible. It is extremely simple to fall back into drugs without being in a drug-free safe environment. Relapsing is particularly risky as your body is less tolerant, which makes the chances of an accidental overdose extremely high.
• Serious Physical Health concerns: One common thing to happens in the time of the crash is failing to eat or drink enough, which results in poor nutrition and dehydration. Withdrawal stress may also be a risk to your heart.

Detox is just the first part of it. To quit meth forever, one should learn to treat the psychological aspect of the addiction through the continuous process of treatment. The best ones are

• Inpatient/Residential Treatment to get round-the-clock, methodical care.
• Outpatient Programs of flexible therapy.
• Behavioral treatment, such as CBT to modify harmful thought patterns.
• Long-term Peer Support through support groups